


True Colors

by WandaRavenBlack



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Angel Wings, Colors, Enochian-Speaking Sam Winchester, Hurt Sam Winchester, Post-Lucifer's Cage Sam Winchester, Protective Castiel (Supernatural), Protective Dean Winchester, Resurrected Gabriel (Supernatural), Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:20:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23318239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WandaRavenBlack/pseuds/WandaRavenBlack
Summary: Dean and Cas get Sam out of the Cage. Four months later, he is still not doing much better. He sees colors around people, speaks only enochian and has extreme trust issues. It's up to Dean and Cas to help him get better.
Relationships: Castiel & Dean Winchester, Castiel & Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester, Gabriel & Sam Winchester
Comments: 40
Kudos: 198





	1. Bar

Dean leaned back in his chair and sighed heavily. On his bed, Sam looked up from the book he was reading. Seeing his worried eyes, Dean smiled at him. 

“It’s alright, Sammy.” 

His brother frowned, and Dean waited patiently. Sam’s english was still nonexistent. Even now, after four months, the only word he had managed was ‘Dean’. And even then, the name sounded wrong, since Sam was clearly more used to the enochian pronunciation of words. He could still understand english, which Dean was grateful for, and could even read it, even though it took him about half an hour to get through one page, but speaking was completely gone. After Dean had figured this out, he bought a dictionary and gave it to Sam, his brother using it to communicate with him. Dean had also picked up a few words in enochian. He couldn’t pronounce them to save his life, but he understood what they meant when Sam said them. He stayed in his chair as Sam reached out for the dictionary and flipped through it. His frown deepened for a few seconds, before he nodded and turned the book around, towards Dean. Making sure that his movements were slow and calm, Dean stood up and walked closer to the bed, stopping when he saw that Sam tensed up slightly. It wasn’t much, but it was there and Dean didn’t want to push his brother too much. He looked at the pages and frowned when he saw the word Sam was pointing at. ‘Bar’. 

“I don’t understand, Sammy. What about the bar?”

Sam seemed frustrated at not getting his point across, and started to flip through the book again. Almost an entire minute later, he turned the book towards Dean again. ‘Go’. 

_ “You.”  _

Dean recognized the sound. You. He tried to put it together in his head. Bar, go, you. Realization hit him. 

“You want me to go to the bar?” 

Sam nodded. 

“Sammy, I don’t mind staying here with you.” 

For a moment, Sam seemed to hesitate. Then he flipped through the book again. Very slowly, Dean went a bit closer and, seeing that Sam didn’t tense up any further, sat down on the edge of the bed. Sam looked at him with big eyes, before turning back to the book. He seemed relieved when he found what he was looking for. ‘Tired’.

_ “You.”  _

Dean frowned. 

“I’m not tired of staying with you, Sammy. Don’t worry about that.” 

Sam seemed slightly agitated when he started flipping through the dictionary again. ‘Pointless’. 

“What’s pointless?” 

‘Hovering’. ‘Sacrifice’. Dean took a deep breath.

“Alright. Let me see if I understand this. You want me to go to the bar, because you think that me hovering here is pointless. You don’t want me to sacrifice my time to stay here and do nothing. Did I get it right?” 

Sam nodded. For a few seconds, Dean thought about it. For the last four months, he had only left the motel room to go to the grocery store. And he had always made sure to be back in approximately fifteen minutes. Except for the first two times, Sam had been alright with being left alone. He had stayed on the bed, reading. But that had been only fifteen minutes. The bar was ten minutes away from the motel. That meant 20 minutes for the road alone. But Sam was right on one point. Hovering in the motel room wouldn’t change anything. After he had gotten Sam back, Dean had told both Cas and Bobby to not come visit. He knew it hurt them, especially Bobby, but he didn’t want to expose Sam to people so soon. Not after what happened that one time he had taken him on a short walk. He shook his head, not wanting to even think about that incident. It had been almost impossible to get Sam back to their room. But now there was no way Bobby or Cas would show up. Dean had even forbidden them from calling, since Sam seemed to be agitated by phones and televisions. Computers were fine, but phones and tvs were out of question. The two had accepted Dean’s ban on any contact, so that meant Sam wouldn’t get any unexpected visitors. And with all the wardings they had, if he locked the door, nobody would be able to come inside. And maybe Sam needed this. Some time alone. Dean was still unsure about what had happened in the Cage, but he knew that Sam wasn’t comfortable with him being too close. Maybe it would do him good to stay alone for some time. Making a quick decision, he nodded and stood up, Sam tensing up at his sudden movement. He gave him a calming smile, and then walked over to the table to close his computer and pick up his keys. 

“Alright. I’ll go. I will be back in an hour. Not longer. I’ll lock the door after me. All the wardings are in place, so nothing will be able to get in. You don’t leave this room, unless it’s on fire. I know you don’t like phones, but if you need me to come back earlier for any reason, use the stationary phone over there and call my number. I’ll come back immediately. If something manages to get through the wardings, and I’m not sure how that would happen, you pray to Cas. He’ll come help you. Do you understand all that?” 

Sam nodded, looking slightly relaxed. 

“Alright. I’ll see you later, Sammy.” 

And he left, before he could come up with any excuse to stay. Sam needed this. Needed to be left alone sometimes. He locked the door and walked to the Impala. As he drove, he thought about Sam. He had been so happy when Cas had showed up with him. Dean, Cas and Bobby had been trying everything to get him out, but nothing had worked. They were ready to give up the more traditional ways, when Cas said that he wanted to try something. He had zapped Dean to a motel room and told him to wait. Two hours later, he had come back with an unconscious Sam. When Dean asked him how he had managed that, the angel had shrugged and said that he had simply broken into the Cage, grabbed Sam and flew away. But he had used so much of his powers to get away that he was almost completely drained. Dean had told him to go back to Bobby’s to recover, and then started taking care of his little brother. Sam had no visible wounds, most probably thanks to Cas, but he still looked beaten. Dean remembered the complete panic in Sam’s eyes when he finally woke up. He had scrambled to the other side of the room, muttering in what Dean had recognized as enochian. Every time he tried to approach him, Sam would panic even more, so Dean did the only thing he could come up with. He sat down on the floor and started talking. He told Sam about everything. Their old schools, hunts, weekends at Bobby’s, Ellen and Jo, their dad, their mom. After five hours, his voice was tired, but he kept talking, because Sam had finally stopped shaking. He exhausted every topic he could think of that was connected to their past, and started talking about the Impala. He talked about her mechanics, about every little repair he had ever done on her. After eight hours, he was hoarse and had to stop talking. He sat there in silence, just looking at Sam. And then, at the nine hour mark, his brother had finally moved. He had crawled out of the corner, his movement slow and cautious, almost as if he was expecting to get punished for moving without permission. Dean sat perfectly still as Sam crawled over to him and stretched his hand out. But, instead of touching him, Sam seemed to stroke his hand over something that was just inches away from Dean’s body. And all the time he kept muttering the same words, over and over again. This had confused him at the time. Now he understood it. After he came back from the Cage, Sam could see colours around people. It had taken them several hours with the dictionary, but Dean had gotten a pretty good outline of what had happened. Sam had been exposed to the true form of an archangel and the devil for so long, that his eyes had started seeing things differently. He could see colours around people. And every person had a different shade. Lucifer had been ‘sun orange-red’. Michael had been ‘blinding snow white’. Dean was ‘grass green’. The colours could not be replicated or changed. That was what had finally convinced Sam that Dean was real. The colour around him. He pulled into the parking lot in front of the bar and got out of the car. The bar was oddly calm and quiet. He walked up to the counter and gave the young woman behind it a smile. 

“A beer.”

She gave it to him and seemed to study him for a few seconds. She was pretty. Dean gave her another smile, making sure to not seem too inviting. There was no way he was going to try taking her back to the motel. Not with Sam in the state he was in. The woman frowned slightly. 

“I’m sorry if I’m overstepping any boundaries, but you look troubled. Is everything alright?” 

Dean tilted his head. 

“Excuse me?” 

The woman seemed slightly embarrassed for a few seconds, before shrugging. 

“You have that look on your face. Like you’ve hit the wall and don’t know how to go forward anymore. Like you don’t know what to do.” 

Dean considered her for a few seconds. She seemed to be genuinely curious and wanting to help. He wondered what colour she would have around her. Maybe, once Sam was good enough, he could bring him here and ask him. 

“Something like that.” 

“Do you want to talk about it? Maybe I could help.” 

Dean hesitated, before nodding. Maybe this was what he needed. Someone from the outside, taking a look at their situation. 

“It’s about my brother. He was in a very bad place, and when he came back, he wasn’t himself. He still isn’t, and I don’t know how to help him.” 

The woman nodded with understanding filling her eyes. 

“I understand your situation. My sister, she… She was in the military. Did a few tours to Afghanistan and Iraq. When she finally came back, she was changed. It was like I couldn’t reach her. She refused to talk, barely ate. I didn’t know what to do. So I prayed. And she came back to me. She was still messed up, but she was getting better.” 

Dean frowned at her. 

“You’re saying I should pray?” 

She smiled. 

“Yes. Maybe an angel is what you need right now.” 

He was going to answer, when her words finally registered in his brain. An angel. He hadn’t wanted to get Cas involved, in case Sam reacted badly to someone other than Dean coming close to him. But Cas was an angel. An angel who spoke enochian. He cursed under his breath, pulled out some money and put it on the counter. 

“Keep the change. And thank you.” 

And he rushed out of the bar. As soon as he was in the car again, he closed his eyes. 

“Cas. I know you’re helping Bobby out with his cases, but I could use your help right now. I’m outside a bar called Blue Heaven.” 

He opened his eyes and looked around. Cas wasn’t there. He sighed. Him and Bobby must be in the middle of a case. He pulled out of the parking lot and started heading towards the motel, when a voice from the backseat almost made him swerve into the ditch. 

“Hello Dean.” 


	2. Warm

With a curse, Dean managed to keep the Impala on the road. He glared backwards to where Cas was sitting. Through the time they had been looking for a way to get Sam out of the Cage, Cas had taken to sitting in the backseat, even though the front seat was always empty. When Dean had asked him about that, the angel had said that it was Sam’s place and that it wouldn’t feel right to sit there. Both Dean and Bobby had been slightly shocked at the answer. Especially since Cas and Sam never seemed close. Seeing that, Cas had simply shrugged and said that his opinions weren’t the same as before. Both hunters had accepted that answer without any further comments. 

“Damn it, Cas! Don’t do that!” 

The angel frowned slightly. 

“You asked me to come.” 

“Yeah. But not scare the crap out of me.” 

Cas nodded. 

“My apologies. Is everything alright? How is Sam?” 

Dean smiled slightly when he heard real concern in his voice. 

“He’s getting slightly better. We’re making progress, but it’s very slow.” 

He pulled over to the side of the road, stopped and turned to Cas. 

“You and Bobby are alright? Sam hasn’t been good with phones, that’s why I didn’t call.” 

Cas nodded again. 

“I understand. Bobby has kept us busy with cases. He said I’m a good researcher. But why did you call? Is something wrong?” 

Dean sighed, making the angel look at him with slight worry. They sat in silence for a few seconds, until Dean started talking again. 

“I have to ask you about something. Can angels see auras?” 

Cas frowned. 

“That’s not exactly how that works. Things like auras aren’t real. What we can see is a colour that the soul emits. It’s individual to everyone and cannot be replicated by shapeshifters or anything else that can change its form. And we don’t see it all the time. We can turn it on and off at will, just like we can choose to make our wings visible.” 

“What colour do you have?” 

The angel shrugged. 

“None of us can see our own colours. Only the colours of others. I haven’t looked at many colours. It’s never been important. I saw your soul when I pulled you out of Hell, but I haven’t looked at others. Your soul is the colour of freshly grown grass on a sunny morning, with small shining droplets of rain.” 

Dean stared at him for a moment, before shaking his head. 

“Yeah, that would have taken him a few hours to explain.” 

Cas tilted his head, so he explained. 

“Sam. He managed to explain that seeing their true forms down in the Cage, made him see everyone’s colours. He called me grass green. But with the way we have been communicating, explaining what you just said would have taken hours.” 

Once again, Cas frowned. 

“That does make sense, actually. I didn’t expect it, but it’s not unlikely. But what do you mean by the way you have been communicating?” 

“Sam speaks only enochian. He understands english, but can’t speak it.” 

The angel’s eyes widened in horror. Seeing that Dean gave him a hard stare. 

“What?” 

Cas hesitated slightly, seemingly not knowing how to say what he was thinking. But, seeing Dean’s glare, he spoke with almost forced calmness. 

“A human’s vocal cords are not meant to produce the sounds that enochian requires. If Sam really speaks enochian, I would guess that it didn’t happen quickly. And it would most probably not be painless.” 

Dean paled. Sam didn’t seem to mind talking in enochian. It didn’t seem to bring him pain. English on the other hand had seemed to be impossible for him to pronounce. 

“Why did you call me, Dean? What’s going on?” 

The hunter was pulled out of his thoughts by Cas’ hand on his shoulder. 

“Dean?” 

“I want you to come back to the motel with me and meet Sam. The only thing I’m worried about is what colour you are. I took Sam outside the motel only once and he freaked out when he saw someone who was orange.” 

Cas was visibly surprised, before he nodded. 

“I will be careful and will get out of there if Sam starts to get uncomfortable.” 

With a nod, Dean pulled out on the road again and drove to the motel. He parked outside and hesitated. 

“Um. Let me go in first.” 

“Of course.” 

Cas followed him to the door, where he stopped and waited while Dean unlocked it. Before opening it, Dean leaned a bit closer to the door and said in a calm voice. 

“It’s me, Sammy.” 

Then he opened it and stepped inside. Sam was still on the bed, a book in his lap. He was looking at Dean with wide eyes, seemingly calming down slightly when he saw that it was really his brother. Dean didn’t close the door behind him as he took a step to the side. 

“I have someone here who wants to see you, Sammy.” 

Very slowly, Cas stepped inside the room, smiling gently. Sam’s eyes widened again when he saw the angel. 

“Hello, Sam.” 

Dean noticed how Sam’s eyes quickly scanned the area around Cas, before moving out to his sides. Cas frowned slightly at that, before a look of shock crossed his face.

_“Sam._ _Can you see my wings?”_

Sam’s eyes snapped back to him when he heard the sound of enochian. 

_ “Yes. I can see them. I didn’t know they were beige.”  _

Cas smiled at him. 

_ “It is a slightly unusual colour. But what about the other colour? Dean told me that you can see it.”  _

_ “Blue. Crackling blue lightning. Electric. You don’t look like either of them. They…”  _

He stopped himself, a look of dread appearing on his face. Dean reacted immediately. He moved closer to the bed Sam was sitting on. 

“Sammy? What’s wrong?” 

Then he turned to Cas. 

“What did he say?” 

“It seems that Sam sees not only the colour of our souls. He can see my wings as well. He told me that my colour is blue lightning. And that I don’t look like either of them.” 

Dean sighed, realizing immediately what was wrong. As slowly as he could, he walked over to Sam’s bed and sat down on the edge. 

“Sammy. It’s alright. Neither of them will ever hurt you again. Neither of them will get you anymore. You’re here, with me and Cas. You’re safe. We won’t let them hurt you ever again. Do you understand that?” 

_ “Yes.”  _

Dean understood the sound. 

“Do you believe me?” 

This time, Sam hesitated for a few seconds. He glanced between the two of them, before nodding. 

_ “Yes.”  _

“Good. Now. We are running low on food, so I’m going to the store. Is that alright with you?” 

Sam glanced over to Cas.

“Cas will stay here with you if that’s fine with you.” 

Again, Sam hesitated. His eyes swept around Cas, and then he nodded with determination. Dean smiled. 

“Great. I’ll be back in 15 minutes. No more. Cas, if anything happens, you call me. Understood?” 

The angel nodded. 

“I understand.” 

Dean gave Sam another smile, before standing up and walking out of the motel room. He locked the door behind him and got into the Impala. He was worried about leaving Sam with Cas, but kept telling himself that it was the right thing to do. Cas understood enochian and could therefore get Sam to open up a bit. And his brother hadn’t seemed too scared of the angel. As he drove to the store, he hoped everything would be alright. He did not want to lose any of the progress he had made with Sam over the time they had been in the motel. All he hoped for was that Cas really took it easy. Sam was still in a bad place. 

*****

Back at the motel, Cas was standing awkwardly next to the door. Sam glanced at his wings again and he could see that the human seemed calmed by the sight of them. He pointed towards Sam’s bed. 

_ “May I sit down?”  _

Sam hesitated for a few seconds, before nodding. 

_ “Yes.”  _

Something in his voice made Cas stay where he was. 

_ “Are you sure you’re alright with that?”  _

Once again, Sam hesitated. Cas tilted his head. 

_ “Sam? What’s wrong? You can tell me if you don’t want me to sit close to you.”  _

Sam shook all over. 

_ “I can’t. I’m not allowed… I can’t. Please. He will punish me if I say it. I’m not allowed to say it.”  _

Understanding appeared in Cas’ eyes.

_ “He didn’t allow you to say ‘no’?”  _

Sam nodded. 

_ “Alright.”  _

He walked over to Sam’s bed and sat down on the edge as far away from him as possible. He didn’t want to sit down on Dean’s bed and accidentally stab himself on a knife again. For a moment he thought about continuing the topic of the word ‘no’, but realized quickly that Sam wouldn’t change his mind about that. 

_ “Sam. Human vocal cords are not made to be able to speak enochian. Not as clearly and beautifully as you can. How is this possible?”  _

This time, Sam’s answer came immediately.

_ “He didn’t want me to speak in english. Every time I did, he would rip my vocal cords out and feed them to me. So I started picking up on words that they said when they talked. At first I couldn’t do it. But then I figured out that I could train myself to do it if I waited until he destroyed and restored my vocal cords again. So I did it. Just like when children learn to speak. I was rewarded every time I got something right by a day free of torture. One wrong word, and he would rip my vocal cords out again. I don’t know how long it took, but I learned. When I tried to speak english after that, I just couldn’t. It’s like I can’t form the words anymore.”  _

Cas nodded. He had been expecting something like that. As he had said before, humans weren’t supposed to speak enochian. 

_ “You were allowed to speak?”  _

Sam shrugged. 

_ “Most times. He wanted to hear me. But there were those really bad days, when he wanted me to stay quiet. So I did. Whatever he did. I had to stay quiet. Just let him do what he wanted. Just…”  _

Noticing that he was getting panicked, Cas quickly interrupted him. 

_ “What happened to your hair?”  _

The question made Sam stop in mid word and frown. He lifted his hand to his hair and then let it fall before it touched it. 

_ “I don’t want to touch it. He used to hold it, rip it out. He loved it.”  _

Cas looked at Sam’s hair. It had grown down to his shoulders and was visibly dirty and tangled. 

_ “Would you be alright with me touching it? I will not hurt you, Sam.”  _

Sam tilted his head slightly, visibly thinking about it. Cas was sitting perfectly still. He wouldn’t push. This had to be on Sam’s terms. After almost two minutes, the young man nodded. 

_ “We can try.”  _

Slowly, he slid down from the bed to kneel next to the bed but, as soon as his knees hit the floor, he froze. Panic appeared in his eyes and he looked up at Cas with tears in his eyes. Immediately, the angel sunk down onto the floor as well, making sure that he was on Sam’s level again. 

_ “Sam. I will not hurt you.”  _

He waited until Sam calmed down a bit, before standing up, grabbing the comforter and pillows from Dean’t bed and making a nest on the floor. He pointed at it with a small smile. 

_ “You can sit there. It will be more comfortable.”  _

He waited until Sam was comfortable with his back against the bed, before sitting down behind him. He noticed that Sam tensed up, but didn’t comment on it. 

_ “Sam. I might have to use my grace to untangle some of the knots. Is that alright?”  _

He regretted the question as soon as it came out of his mouth. Sam wouldn’t say ‘no’. Even if he wanted to. Sam turned his head slightly to look up at him. His eyes swept over his wings, and he managed to relax slightly again. He looked forward and Cas gently reached out to touch his hair. In the last second, he spread his grace along his hand. As soon as his hand met Sam’s hair, the man let out a sigh and melted into his touch. 

_ “Warm. Your grace. It’s warm. He was always so cold. Freezing cold.”  _

Cas let his fingers card through the long hair, his grace undoing the knots that had formed. 

_ “Would you feel comfortable with me cutting your hair as well? I will only use my grace.”  _

Sam nodded, relaxing even further against the bed and Cas’ legs. Cas saw it for what it was. A show of trust. 

“Thank you, Sammy.” 

A small smile appeared on his face when Sam didn’t correct him or protest against the nickname.


	3. Green and Blue

Dean grabbed the two bags with groceries from the back seat and walked over to the door to their motel room. He had to fiddle around a bit, but managed to get it unlocked and step inside, closing it behind him with his foot. But he almost dropped the bags when he saw Sam and Cas. Sam was sitting on a small nest of duvet and pillows, his back resting against the bed. His eyes had opened when he heard Dean come inside, but he looked completely relaxed. Cas was on the bed, his fingers carding through Sam’s hair. Sam’s short hair. Dean was taken aback by it. Sam’s hair, which had been long and tangled just 20 minutes ago, now looked almost identical to how it had been shortly after Sam had left Stamford, bangs and all. Another thing that shocked him was that Cas was touching Sam. Ever since he came back, Sam was against any human touch at all. Especially when it came to his hair. Hearing him come inside, Cas looked up. 

“Hallo, Dean.” 

Collecting himself, Dean carried the shopping bags into the kitchen and put the food into the fridge. Then he grabbed a beer for himself and avocado smoothie for Sam. Very slowly, he sat down on his own bed and stretched the smoothie over to Sam. His brother hesitated, before grabbing it and clearly relaxing when he noticed the color. Dean smiled slightly when Sam started drinking. Food and drinks had been a difficult thing to figure out in the beginning. Drinks couldn’t be white, yellow or red. Foods couldn’t be red, pink, yellow or brown. After figuring it out, Dean had felt sick. He could guess what it all meant. What Sam could have been forced to eat and drink in the cage. Orange was a risky color too. Green and blue were the only safe options. Which meant that no meat could be introduced into Sam’s diet. During the time since Sam was brought back, Dean had become an expert on vegetarian diets and how to make sure Sam got all the nutrients he needed on a blue and green diet. From time to time, he resorted to food coloring. Green, cooked chicken was extremely popular, although Dean had managed to get Sam to eat normal chicken as well. He just had to make sure that the meat was white when it was done. White food seemed to be alright on certain days. He tilted his head. 

“Nice hairstyle, Sammy.” 

Sam smiled slightly. 

_ “Thank you.”  _

He leaned further back, resting against Cas’ legs. The angel nodded. 

“We decided that the long hair wasn’t fitting.” 

Then he frowned. 

“Bobby has been worried about you two.” 

Dean nodded. 

“I know. But I don’t think it’s a good idea to travel right now.” 

Sam tilted his head. 

_ “Is it because of me?”  _

Dean looked at him with a questioning gaze. Seeing that, Cas quickly translated. 

“Sam is wondering if you don’t want to travel because of him. 

With a heavy sigh, Dean slid down from the bed and sat down on the floor. 

“Sammy, you remember what happened the last time you left this room. I’m just trying to make sure you’re safe and comfortable. And if it means I have to live here, then so be it.” 

Sam frowned, clearly thinking about something very hard. Then he stretched his hand out towards where the dictionary was on the bed. Seeing that, Cas grabbed it and passed it over to him. Sam started to flip through the book, stopping at the right word. ‘Missing.’ Dean frowned. 

“Missing? What am I missing?” 

Sam looked frustrated. He pointed at himself and then the word again. Dean hesitated, before understanding appeared in his eyes. 

“You miss Bobby?” 

Sam nodded. Dean looked up at Cas, and the angel nodded slowly. 

“It’s dark outside, so we should be able to get out of here without running into anyone.” 

“Alright then. Cas, there is a cooler in the Impala. Go get it and grab some food from the fridge. Sammy, get your books and put them on the table. I’ll pack out clothes and weapons.” 

With a nod, Sam stood up and started collecting his books, while Cas went outside to get the cooler. He came back inside a few seconds later and frowned slightly when he noticed how many of the foods and drinks were blue and green. Seeing that, Dean walked over to him. 

“Pack as much green and blue as possible. I doubt Bobby will have those colors in the fridge.” 

Cas’ frown deepened. 

“I’ll explain later. Just do it and stay close to Sam. I’ll start carrying the things out to the car.” 

Without a word, Cas nodded and started putting food into the cooler, while Dean started carrying the bags and books out to the car. They were done ten minutes later, and Dean turned to Sam. 

“You ready, Sammy?” 

Very slowly, Sam nodded and moved a bit closer to Cas. The angel put his hand on Sam’s shoulder. 

_ “Don’t worry, Sam. Everything will be alright.”  _

He nodded again and they followed Dean out of the room. Dean opened the door to the passenger seat and Sam quickly got in. Cas got into the back seat, while Dean sat down behind the wheel. As soon as all doors were closed, Sam’s body relaxed and he leaned against the window. With a glance at him, Dean pulled out of the parking lot and drove out onto the road. They were around six hours from Bobby’s. Looking down at the dash, he almost cursed. They would have to stop somewhere to refill fuel. Which meant having Sam in the same place as other people. Unless he managed to find a gas station while it was still dark. They drove in almost silence, Cas sometimes humming some tune. From time to time, Sam would tilt his head and hum along, before seemingly catching himself and getting quiet again, just looking out the window. Three hours later, Dean pulled into a gas station. 

“I need to refill her. Sammy, you need to use the bathroom?” 

Sam hesitated, clearly thinking it through. Then he nodded. Dean pointed towards the portable bathrooms. 

“Alright. There is a bathroom over there. Will you be alright going alone? There are no people here and I’ll be able to see the door all the time.” 

Once again, Sam thought it through. This time, he took even longer. Then he nodded again, and walked off. Dean waited until he was inside the bathroom and had closed the door, before starting to fill up the fuel. Once it was done, he looked at the bathroom door. It was still closed. 

“Cas. I need to go pay for the gas. Can you keep an eye on Sam?” 

Cas nodded and stepped out of the car. 

“Of course.” 

He leaned against the side of the car, his eyes turned to the starry sky above them. Giving the bathroom a last glance, Dean hurried inside. When he came out again, a few minutes later, he was holding a salad and blueberry juice for Sam. But, as soon as he came outside, he noticed that something was wrong. Sam had just gotten out of the bathroom and was watching a girl, his eyes wide open. The girl, who couldn’t be more than 16 years old, was standing in front of him, her head tilted to the side. Next to the car, Cas seemed frozen. Moving quickly, Dean started walking towards Sam, only to stop when Cas suddenly appeared next to him and put his hand on his shoulder. 

“Dean. Stop. She speaks enochian.” 

He tilted his head and listened, while Sam spoke up. 

“He says that she is a golden fire. Like fire, but made of liquid gold.” 

“What is she?” 

Cas shrugged. 

“I have no idea. She is extremely powerful, I can feel it. But I have no idea who or what she is.” 

They watched as the girl moved closer to Sam and gently put her hand on his elbow. With gentle movements, she steered him back to the car and smiled at Dean and Cas. 

“Hallo. My name is Elle.” 

She turned to Sam, her smile never faltering. 

“Do not worry, Sam. Everything will be alright.” 

Then she turned to Dean again. 

“I hope you can make things better, Dean. If you ever need help, with anything, just call out my name. I will hear you.” 

Dean frowned. 

“What the hell are you?” 

Her smile turned sad. 

“I’m something that should not exist.” 

Then she turned around, took three steps and disappeared. Dean looked at the spot she had been in for a few seconds, before taking a deep breath. 

“What the hell was that?” 

Sam tilted his head. 

_ “She is a friend. I like her.”  _

Cas smiled. 

“Sam likes her.” 

“Well, I don’t like not knowing what we’re dealing with.” 

He passed the salad and juice over to Sam and then pointed at the car. 

“Let’s get going.” 

As soon as Sam got inside and closed the door, Dean grabbed Cas’ arm. 

“Will you know if she follows us?” 

Cas nodded. 

“I think so. She is incredibly powerful.” 

“Good. Keep an eye out for her. I don’t like how easily she got through to Sam.” 

Then he got in the car, waited until Cas was in the back seat and drove off, glancing in the rearview mirror from time to time. He made sure to drive fast. The sooner they got to Bobby’s house, the better. Not many things could get through all of Bobby’s wards. 


	4. Rusty Orange

The rest of the drive was spent in silence. Sam, most probably noticing the tenseness in Dean, stayed very still in his seat, keeping his eyes mostly on his hands. They pulled up outside Bobby’s house and Dean felt some of the tension float away. Bobby’s was safe. Whoever that girl had been, he doubted even she could get through all of Bobby’s wards. He turned off the car and turned to Sam. 

“You ready for this, Sammy?” 

Sam looked extremely nervous, but still nodded. Not wanting to push him too much, Dean just smiled at him and stepped out of the car. On the other side, Cas had already gotten out and was opening Sam’s door. After a few seconds of hesitation, he stepped out, looking around with wide eyes. Cas smiled and put his hand on Sam’s elbow, making sure to spread his grace along it. He had noticed before that it kept him calm. 

_ “Let’s go. Bobby has missed you.”  _

Sam gave him a nervous smile and let himself be led towards the house, when the door suddenly opened and Bobby stepped out onto the porch. His eyes were wide with shock. 

“Sam?” 

Before anyone could answer, Sam suddenly screamed and wrenched himself away from Cas with so much strength that he stumbled backwards and fell onto the ground. Both Dean and Cas started towards him, only to stop when he began crawling backwards, his eyes glued to Bobby. Then, all of the sudden, he muttered something in enochian, flew up to his feet and ran into the night. Dean was going to run after him, but was stopped by Cas’ hand on his shoulder. 

“Rusty orange. Must’ve been close enough to HIS color. I’ll go after him. I can see in the dark and move faster than you.” 

Dean hesitated only for a split second, before nodding. With a tight smile, Cas took off in the same direction that Sam had disappeared into. With a heavy sigh, Dean walked up to Booby. The old man was looking at him with shock and concern. 

“What’s wrong? What are you doing here? I thought you were going to stay where Sam feels comfortable.” 

Dean nodded. 

“Yeah, well. There’s been a change in plans. After Cas showed up, Sam seemed more relaxed, and even said that he misses you.” 

He huffed out a frustrated breath. 

“Damn it! Of all the colors.” 

Bobby’s frown deepened. 

“What?” 

“Sam. He’s been exposed to their true forms down in the cage. It makes him see colours around people. Something to do with their souls. I’ll let Cas explain it all to you. He can also see Cas’ wings. The color he sees around you seems to be similar to L’s.” 

Bobby looked like he wanted to ask about it, but then stopped himself and nodded, accepting that he would have to wait for Cas to come back and explain everything. 

“L? You mean Lu…” 

“Don’t!” 

The old man almost jumped at Dean’s sharp voice. Dean took a calming breath. 

“Sorry. It’s just that Sam reacts extremely violently when he hears his name. The same with M’s. I’ve taught myself to not say them. I don’t know if he wasn’t allowed to call them by their names, or if using their names was too personal, but he doesn’t do it. And don’t talk badly about them. Especially L. It makes Sam scared. Don’t use phones around him, and don’t turn on the TV. Don’t give him food that isn’t blue or green.” 

Bobby shook his head. 

“What happened to him down there?” 

Dean turned away from him, looking out into the night. 

“I don’t think we want to know.” 

Right then, they heard footsteps approaching. Dean quickly hurried down the stairs when he recognized Sam’s silhouette. He reached them in seconds, and stopped in shock when he noticed Sam’s appearance. He was extremely pale, his eyes bloodshot like he had been crying. He was shivering all over and Dean glared at Cas. 

“What the hell happened?” 

“He ran into the pond. I’ve dried him off, but I think the cold water triggered some kind of flashback. I haven’t been able to get him to respond, either to english or enochian.” 

Dean wanted to reach out and grab his brother, but knew that touching him now wouldn’t be wise. On the porch Bobby spoke quietly, almost like he didn’t want to draw Sam’s attention to himself. 

“I’ll put the heater on in the living room and get some blankets.” 

Dean nodded and looked to where Cas was holding onto Sam’s elbow. 

“Can you get him inside?” 

The angel frowned slightly. 

“I’ll try.” 

He leaned a bit closer to Sam and shifted his shoulders. Dean almost frowned at that, but then realized that Cas was most probably shifting his wings around, making sure Sam paid attention to him. It didn’t snap the man out of his shaken state, but he let himself be led towards the house, so Dean didn’t say anything. Cas led him inside and to the living room, where he gently pushed him down onto the couch and pulled two thick blankets around him. Dean moved the heater so that it was blowing directly at Sam, but his brother just continued shaking.

“Cas, can’t you do something?” 

The angel shook his head, a sad look appearing on his face. 

“I’ve already tried. But however much grace I put behind it, I can’t get him to snap out of the flashback. And I don’t dare put him to sleep, in case he has nightmares and it makes it worse.” 

Dean paced around in frustration, before turning to him again. 

“What about the girl? Elle?” 

Cas frowned. 

“You think calling her here and asking her for help is wise?” 

Dean huffed out an irritated breath. 

“I think that she could have easily killed us all back there, but she didn’t. You said it yourself, Sam likes her. And he barely trusts me anymore. If he feels alright around her, after everything he went through, I’m willing to try it.” 

After a few seconds, Cas nodded. 

“I’ll stay with Sam.” 

Dean gave him a grateful smile and the angel walked over to the couch again. He sat down next to Sam and started to speak calmly in enochian. Not seeing any responses from his brother, Dean pulled out his gun and marched outside, right past a stunned Bobby. There was no time to explain. 

“Elle! We need your help!” 

“You don’t have to shout.” 

He whipped around to where the voice was coming from. Elle was sitting on one of the old cars, her long black hair looking slightly ruffled, almost like she had been lying down before she got there. Her eyes, which Dean had thought were brown in the dark gas station, now looked more amber with the lights around Bobby’s house shining on her. She was tan, her dark skin making her eyes stand out even more. Dressed in black jeans and a green jacket, she vaguely reminded him of someone, but he couldn’t quite think of who. 

“What’s the problem. Oh, and by the way, that gun you think I don’t see, will only put holes in my clothes. So please don’t.” 

He twitched slightly, taking the gun out from where he had been holding it behind his back. 

“What are you?” 

Her smile fell slightly. 

“I told you already.” 

“Something that shouldn’t exist. Yeah. I heard that. But what exactly? Which side are you on?” 

She tilted her head and, half a second later, she was standing on the ground, leaning against the car. 

“I don’t stand on any side.” 

“Then why offer your help to us?” 

At that, she seemed to hesitate, clearly not knowing how much she wanted to say. When she started speaking again, her voice was careful. 

“My father wasn’t a very nice person. He… He had a chance to help you during the Apocalypse, but he didn’t. He had a chance to get me and my brother involved in the fight, but chose to put my brother under a sleeping curse. He knew I wouldn’t leave my brother’s side, and that it would keep me away from the fight. The curse disappeared when my father died. My brother woke up and managed to convince me to not get involved. I listened to him. We stayed in hiding, waiting for you to win so that we could go on with our lives. But when I found out what happened to Sam, I couldn’t just do nothing anymore. I tried to get to the cage but couldn’t figure out a way to get inside and leave with just Sam. I’m ashamed to say that I gave up way too quickly. I went back to my brother, but tried to keep an eye on you.” 

Then she smiled. 

“Haven’t you wondered why there were never any cases of supernatural origin around the motel you and Sam were staying in?” 

Dean frowned. 

“Wait, so you mean…” 

“Yes. I’ve been making sure they didn’t get close to you two.” 

Very slowly, the hunter put his gun away. If she had really been watching them for so long, and hadn’t killed them yet, then he didn’t see any reason to be overly hostile towards her. Especially if he wanted her to help them. 

“But why?” 

Elle looked away for a few seconds, a flash of pain going across her face. When she looked back at him, her expression was once again calm. 

“My father changed. At the end. He died for your cause. Trying to stop what was happening. He gave his life to try to stop the Apocalypse, and me and my brother decided to crawl into a corner and do nothing, while the world suffered. The day I heard about what you and Sam did to save the world, I swore to never stand aside when I could help.” 

Dean considered her words. Her father had been on their side. He had died on their side. Had they known him? Was he a human? 

“That doesn’t explain what you are. What? A demon? Angel? Some crazy hybrid?” 

She was in front of him in a second. 

“Don’t you ever presume to know what I am. Understood?” 

Her amber eyes were glaring at him, and Dean got a sudden flashback to when Gabriel had said those same words to him. But he didn’t get to think about it for too long, because she had stepped away quickly, her head shaking. 

“I’m sorry. What I am is not something easy to understand. Now. You called for help. What do you need?” 

Dean snapped out of it, suddenly reminded of why he had called her in the first place. 

“It’s Sam. He’s in the middle of a flashback and seems to be freezing. Cas tried to warm him up, but didn’t manage. He said that you are powerful, so I thought maybe you could do it.” 

She frowned. 

“Warming him up. I’m not sure. My heat isn’t as strong as my brothers. He’s the one taking after our mother. I was always more like our father. But I will do my best.” 

And with that, she went inside the house, not even slightly bothered by the salt line, the iron handle or the devil’s trap. Dean’s eyes followed her, from her tan skin, to her dark hair and proud posture. He remembered her amber eyes, eyes that he was sure he had seen before. She had talked about her brother taking after their mother and her taking after their father. Which meant that both their parents were powerful. And then another memory hit him. A memory of something someone once said to him.  _ ‘We… uh… had a thing.’  _ His eyes widened when he realized the truth and he hurried inside. This had to be impossible. 


End file.
